Contrasts of modern Turkey
You can live in Turkey for several years, travel, constantly discovering new cities, getting acquainted with traditions, but you can hardly say that you have fully explored this beautiful country . After all, Turkey is so contrasting that sometimes you wonder how so many cultures coexist here.
From conservative Islam to Christianity and atheism
Today there is hardly a person who does not know that Turkey is a Muslim country. But at the same time, Christians also live here, although in much smaller numbers , as well as Jews and even atheists. And Islam is completely different here. For example, in the western part of Turkey, on the Antalya coast, the people, although they are believers, are mostly non-observant. Here, for example, there are more open-minded girls, without headscarves or hijabs, but in Eastern Turkey religion occupies a significant part of the life of the population.
If in the Western and Southern parts of Turkey you rarely meet a person who reads prayer 5 times a day, observing everything that the Koran prescribes. What can I say, many Muslims here pay lip service only. In the East it is difficult to meet a non-religious person
There are also many Christian Turks in Istanbul today , most of whom are Orthodox. And about 7% of all Christians in Turkey are Protestants.
From burning brunettes to blue-eyed blondes
Many people believe that Turks are necessarily dark-skinned, with jet-black hair and brown eyes. In the east - yes, perhaps on the Antalya side. But in the West of the Southern Republic the population is completely different.
There are a lot of people from the Balkans, Greeks, and Slavs in general with Turkish citizenship (we are not talking about Russians or Ukrainians who moved to Turkey for permanent residence, but about people born and raised here) .
Well, in the east you can also meet people with Arab blood.
So here, too, Türkiye surprised us with its contrast.
Modern cities and rural way of life
Despite the fact that Turkey is a Muslim republic, many people live here oriented towards the West, not the East. Modern clothing, the desire to study and get a profession, build a career - all this characterizes not only men, but also many women who, contrary to tradition, strive for European life.
Here you can also meet women politicians, lawyers and economists with several higher educations, female bankers and police officers, teachers and lawyers.
And to be completely frank, in Turkey you can often encounter men and women of unconventional orientation; transgender people exist here calmly and normally (they are also in Alanya). So why not Europe?
But on the other hand, in the outback in many cities, a certain closed-mindedness of views still remains. When the education is several primary classes , when a woman is not allowed to work, but is given in marriage by agreement.
But you can see this Turkey if you go on an independent trip to the east.
Cities such as Alanya, Antalya, Izmir, Istanbul, Bodrum, Marmaris, which our tourists love so much, have long turned their attention to Europe.
From terrible heat to terrible cold
It’s also not worth considering that Turkey is a country of eternal summer. You may be surprised, but there are cities and areas where the winter temperature drops below - 20 degrees. Where snowfalls often occur. For example, Kars, it is also called the most Russian city in Turkey, thanks to its architecture. So, the winters there are quite harsh.
And on the Antalya coast, even in January or February, the air temperature in winter during the day rarely drops below +15.
By the way, culinary contrasts are associated with weather contrasts.
For example, the Antalya and Aegean coasts, where summers are hot and winters are quite warm, feed mainly on vegetables and fruits. And central Türkiye leans more on meat, kebabs and kebabs.
Modern buildings and architectural monuments
I would also like to note the fact that in almost every city in Turkey you can see how modern residential complexes peacefully coexist with architectural monuments, ancient cities, and mosques are located next to ancient Christian churches and monasteries.
The fact is that the Turkish authorities honor the cultural heritage of the country and do not destroy architectural monuments for the sake of new construction. On the contrary, they monitor their safety and restore them.
For example, in Alanya Mahmutlar, modern complexes were erected next to the walls of the ancient, dilapidated Naula. And the city authorities did not even think of “ moving ” the centuries-old stones.
Indeed, seeing all this, you begin to understand how Türkiye is an unusual country, a country of contrasts that you can discover year after year, never ceasing to be surprised and learn something new .
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